Their lives are in your hands.

Safe Driving

Drive Safely

Lack of experience

Young drivers tend to have good vehicle control skills because they have recently had driving lessons. Young drivers also tend to have faster reactions, but they do not “read” the road, and do not identity potential hazards far enough in advance. Using observations and interpretation is seen as a skill that has to be practiced.

Peer Pressure

The urge to “impress” your mates is much stronger in the young driver than with the more experienced motorist. This urge coupled with the lack of experience can mean driving too fast for the road conditions, taking unnecessary risks and generally showing off, all too often with tragic consequences.

Mobile Phones

Not exclusive to younger drivers by any means, but by the very nature of the technology young drivers are early adopters of the latest models and most teenagers would suffer withdrawal symptoms if their mobile phone was taken away or even switched off. Mobiles and driving do not mix.

Electronic Equipment

Again not an exclusive preserve of younger drivers, but very few older drivers play music so loudly that it can be heard from three cars away, and that is with the windows shut. Music at excessive volume is a distraction and affects concentration.

Seatbelts

In a crash at 30mph, an unrestricted back seat passenger will hit the front seat, and anyone in it, with a force of between 30 and 60 times their own body weight. If caught not wearing a seat belt you will receive a fixed penalty fine of £100. If you don’t wear a seat belt and are involved in a crash and your airbag inflates, it could kill you.

Time of Day

Young people are not exclusive users of the road late at night or very early in the morning, but driving in the dark is a result of their busy social lives. Driving at night is a very different scenario to driving during the day.

Alcohol and Drugs

These are by no means exclusive to young drivers but young people tend to be more vulnerable because of the social life they lead.

Remember:

WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. THAT MEANS YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS.

FOLLOW THE SPEED LIMITS. THEY EXIST TO SAVE LIVES.

DON'T DRIVE TIRED. TAKE BREAKS EVERY TWO HOURS ON LONG JOURNEYS.

JUST SAY NO TO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS BEFORE DRIVING.

Watch out for pedestrians, people on bikes, horses and other road users